Former Soboba Tribal Chairman Robert "Bobby" Salgado pleaded guilty this afternoon in Los Angeles to two federal charges of bribery and filing a false income tax return.

 
Salgado was indicted last year on 36 felony counts, including 29 counts of accepting bribes from vendors in exchange for lucrative contracts for work at the Soboba Indian Reservation and Casino in San Jacinto. 
 
The trial was set to begin this morning for Salgado at the U.S. District Court House in Los Angeles. Salgado appeared with his attorney and requested to withdraw his not guilty plea in exchange for a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The plea deal states that the guilty plea carries a maximum sentence of 13 years in prison, though federal prosecutors agreed to propose a sentence of seven to nine years in prison if Salgado has no criminal record.
Salgado faced 10 years in federal prison for each of the 29 bribery charges in which he could have been convicted. The U.S. Attorney's office also agreed to dismiss the remaining 34 bribery, conspiracy and false tax return charges if Salgado complies.

Outside the federal courthouse, Salgado declined to comment, deferring any questions to his attorney, who had driven away.